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When you’re in the business, you know which products work the best. As one of the owners of Allsteel Inc, a metal panel manufacturing facility in Arkansas, Mike Batterton knows the industry inside and out. When deciding to put up a new roof on his personal home, he didn’t have to look far to select the top-of-the-line products that would give his home protection from the elements and a beautiful exterior built to last.

From the beginning, Batterton knew he would be selecting a steel roof composed of Allsteel metal panels for his home. Metal roofs offer advanced durability and often require fewer repairs than the standard shingle counterparts, which saves time and money when it comes to maintenance. Furthermore, the lighter-weight material puts less stress on the foundation of the building, which can result in a longer lifespan for the home.

Enhancing the durability of metal panels, architectural metal coatings offer building owners increased protection for the exterior of a structure. Coating manufacturers continue to develop formulations to resist etching, marring, and erosion rates to keep buildings looking new for longer. Coated metal paneling can also protect a building against the effects of weather conditions, specifically offering a waterproof barrier that stands up to humidity, acid rain and corrosive salt.

With this in mind, Batterton turned to his trusted partners at Valspar, a company he has been working with for more than a decade, to provide the best possible architectural metal coating for his residential roof. His sales representative, David Rosenberg, immediately brought a new product into the mix, Valspar’s WeatherXL™ Crinkle Finish coating. The WeatherXL product line is one of Valspar’s most durable and proven SMP (Silicone Modified Polyester) coatings on the market, offering protection from harsh environmental elements and resistance to abrasion, chipping and marring.

“I was immediately interested in WeatherXL Crinkle Finish because it is different than everything else on the market,” said Batterton. He selected the Burnished Slate color because it was visually impactful and offered a “wow factor” right from the start. Plus, he knew the coating’s color retention properties ensured it would remain a bold choice well into the future.

Rosenberg and Batterton both commented on the product’s ease-of-use, especially when it came to installation. “Contractors love this product because they can walk on it a lot easier, plus it hides any imperfections in the roof,” said Batterton. “You can barely even see the screws – everything blends in perfectly with the coating’s texture.”

Batterton explained that an initial concern was additional dirt and snow retention due to the texture of the roof’s coating. However, his concerns were immediately put to rest as he discovered “it had no additional dirt or snow retention when compared to any other product.”

Since finishing construction on the new house in 2014 and seeing the benefits of the WeatherXL Crinkle Finish coating first-hand, Batterton and his entire team at Allsteel have made it a priority to encourage their customers to consider its use. “The team knew Mike used the product on his home, something that was very important to him,” said Rosenberg. “After they saw the value of WeatherXL in real-life, they, too, were won over.”